a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvement in roll-baler of a type, which feeds materials such as harvested and shredded farm product for fodder, or the like, into a shaping chamber mounted on a machine frame, to be shaped and packaged into a roll-bale of a required configuration, wherein the machine body has no pick-up device for picking up the shaping material such as harvested fodder product, etc., but instead of such pick-up device, there is mounted a hopper for receiving such fodder product to be shaped into the roll-bale. A transporting conveyor installed beneath the bottom part of the hopper is mounted, so as to carry forward the shaping material as received into the hopper.
b) Description of Prior Arts
Of the roll-baler of the abovementioned type, there is a similar one which was developed by the present applicants (vide: Japanese patent application No. 2001-352852, which corresponds to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/207,807 in the name of Kouichi FUKUMORI et al.
This roll-baler (referred to as “A” in FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawing) is of such a construction that a hopper 2 for receiving thereinto materials to be shaped into a roll-bale is mounted on the side of the front part of the machine body 1 which moves by means of travelling wheels 10, that a transporting conveyor 3 for carrying rearwardly the shaping materials to be discharged from the discharge port 20 which is defined in the bottom part of the hopper 2 is mounted below this discharge port; that, on the side of the rear part of the machine body 1, there is mounted a shaping chamber (or, bale-chamber) 4 which receives, through a receiving port 40, the shaping materials to be transported rearwardly by the abovementioned transporting conveyor 3, and is shaped into the roll-bale by means of a bale-shaping device 41 accommodated in the shaping chamber 4, in the intermediate part of the machine body 1 between this bale-shaping chamber 4 and the hopper 2, there is mounted a delivery mechanism 5 for delivering twine or net for packaging the roll-bale of the fodder material, etc., which has completed its shaping in the abovementioned bale-shaping chamber 4; and that, in the bottom part of the inner cavity of the abovementioned hopper 2, there is provided agitators 6, 6, . . . for delivering the shaping materials as received into the hopper 2 to the discharge port 20.
The roll-baler A as illustrated in FIG. 1 of the accompanying of this application is constructed in a traction type, which is drawn by a tractor, and other pulling vehicles, linked with the roll-baler. At the forward end of the machine body, there are mounted a connecting rod 11 for joining the machine body to a hitch provided on the rear face of the body of the traction vehicle, and a universal joint shaft 13 for linking an input shaft 12 with a PTO shaft equipped on the traction vehicle. By this input shaft 12 supported on the machine body 1, with its being connected to the rear end side of the universal-joint shaft 13, rotational power is transmitted for driving the transporting conveyor 3, the bale-shaping device 41 equipped in the bale-shaping chamber 4, and the delivery mechanism 5 of the twine (or net).
This roll-baler A is used in such a fashion that the shaping material which is harvested and shredded by a harvester as mounted on the traction vehicle, or a separate tractor running along with the traction vehicle, and then the shaping material discharged through a chute is received into the hopper 2 to be temporarily stored therein, and then this shaping material, being discharged from the discharge port 20 of the hopper 2, is forwarded by means of the transporting conveyor 3 into the bale-shaping chamber 4 so as to be shaped into the roll-bale; or the roll-baler A is used in such a fashion that the shaping-material, which is harvested and shredded by a harvester and then thrown into a bonnet wagon or a loader bucket, which is equipped on the tractor with the harvester being mounted thereon, is received into the hopper 2 from the bonnet wagon or the loader bucket for its temporary storage therein until it is discharged from the discharge port 20 of the hopper 2 and is forwarded by means of the transporting conveyor 3 into the shaping chamber 4 so as to be shaped into the roll-bale.
As described in the foregoing, the roll-baler of the type, having no pick-up device provided on its machine body, but instead, the hopper for receiving the shaping material is mounted on the machine body, and this shaping material is thrown into this hopper and temporarily stored therein, followed by its being discharged sequentially through the discharge port defined in the bottom part of the hopper into the bale-shaping chamber by means of the transporting conveyor to form the final roll-bale, has a problem, when the roll bale to be shaped within the bale-shaping chamber reaches its predetermined diameter or roll-pressure, and then when the twine (or net) is delivered from the delivery mechanism by actuating the same to package the roll-bale, the shaping material dropping through small clearance (or gap) among the adjacent agitators would be sent into the shaping chamber, together with the transporting conveyor accompanying the twine (or net), with the consequence that the dropped material adheres onto the outer periphery of the twine or net as wound, and, when the roll-bale as shaped and packaged is discharged from the shaping chamber, the twine (or net) as adhered onto the roll-bale tends to drop downward, thereby causing undesirable loss in the bale-shaping.
Moreover, conventional roll-baler needs to be stopped during a span of time, when the shaped roll bale is liberated from the twine (or net) winding until the shaping material is again taken into the shaping chamber, which inevitably invites an inconvenience such that operating efficiency of the machine would become lowered.
Incidentally, with the roll-baler of the type, equipped with the pick-up device, the abovementioned problem would not occur, because, if and when the roll bale formed in the bale-shaping chamber reaches a predetermined diameter or roll-pressure, and is to be packaged with twine (or net), no shaping material is picked up by the pick-up device due to stoppage of the moving machine body, as the consequence of which the transporting conveyor which is integral with the pick-up device forwards the twine (or net) alone into the bale-shaping chamber.
The roll baler of the abovementioned type, however, forwards into the shaping chamber the shaping material alone which has been thrown into the hopper, which material would be discharged from the discharge port defined in the bottom part of the hopper and sent into the bale-shaping chamber, irrespective of whether the machine body is running or in stoppage.
Since this transporting conveyor is indispensable for guiding the twine (or net) which is delivered from the delivery mechanism toward the shaping chamber, it should not be stopped by any means.
On account of this, it is so devised that driving of the agitators installed in the bottom part of the inner cavity of the hopper is stopped, thereby ceasing the discharge of the shaping material through the discharge port defined in the bottom part of the hopper.
The abovementioned problem is caused by the shaping material which is dropped from the gaps among the adjacent agitators, the driving of which is in stoppage, hence it is unavoidable with the roll baler of the abovementioned type.